“You should get more sleep.”
“I don’t want to sleep. I want to know more about you.”
Shara settled back in her chair. “Very well,” she said. “What do you want to know?”
His eyes ranged over her body for a brief moment, then came to rest on her sword, leaned against the wall in the corner. “Tell me about Vestapalk,” he said at last.
She frowned. “Do you want to know about Vestapalk or about Jarren?”
“Who’s Jarren?”
“He was my lover,” she said. “We … well, I think we would have been married, though it was something we never really talked about, except maybe once. I put him off, told him we could think about it later, perhaps when we were too old or too rich to keep adventuring.”
“And the dragon killed him.”
“Yes. Uldane and I were part of an adventuring band, led by my father, actually. Borojon was his name. Me, Uldane, Borojon, Jarren, and Cliffside the dwarf. We had been tracking the dragon for a while, following the carnage he left in his wake. We finally found him, or he found us.”
The horror of the day came rushing back to her-the stench of the dragon’s acrid breath, the sound of rending meat as it tore Cliffside apart, Jarren’s horrified face looking down at her as she fell into the river.
“So you’re looking for revenge.”
“I suppose so.” Shara ran her fingers through her hair, hit a tangle, and thought briefly about how wonderful a bath would feel. “But I already got it, in a way. I killed the dragon, or at least left it next to dead. I think the thing that irks me most is the failure of it all. I fell into the godsdamned river instead of standing with my friends and killing the dragon the first time. Then when I met the dragon again, I didn’t even manage to kill it properly. Now it’s back and worse than ever, and honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do if I find it. I think it might be more than I can handle.”
“Don’t count a dragon as a drake, Shara.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re a dragon. You’re the greatest warrior I’ve ever seen. The swordmasters of my house wouldn’t last a minute in a duel with you. But you think you’re a drake-you think you’re weaker than you are. Don’t underestimate yourself.”
Shara looked at the floor. “You’re too kind.”
“And what human has ever before spoken those words to a drow? My people don’t give empty compliments-well, unless there’s something to be gained by it.”
“So you’re not hoping to gain something by flattering me?”
“Not in this case, no.” He smiled. “So tell me about Jarren. Was he anything like me?”
Shara felt tears well in her eyes, and turned her head so Quarhaun wouldn’t see. “Jarren was my best friend,” she said. “He made it all mean something-all our adventures, all the excitement and bloodshed, all the pain we endured, all the treasures we won-he made it worthwhile. He made me feel like the greatest treasure of all. He made me laugh, and then he could be so sweet that he made me cry. He made me feel desirable when most men were afraid of me.” Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she no longer cared what Quarhaun thought. She looked at him, met his eyes, and shook her head. “He was about as different from you as I can imagine. He was a summer day, full of life and heat and passion. And you’re a winter night, cold and dark.”
Quarhaun looked away, disappointment plain on his face.
Shara leaned over him, cupped his cheek in her hand, and turned his face back toward her. She searched his eyes for a moment, then kissed his lips-a long, hungry kiss. When she finally drew back, her face was flushed, but not with shy embarrassment.
“And what better way to enjoy a winter night,” she said, “than to huddle under a pile of furs before a raging fireplace, safe from the chill?”
A cloaked traveler made his way into the common room of the Silver Unicorn Inn. He shouldered up to the bar, ordered a glass of the finest wine, paid in gold, and took the glass to a table in the corner.
The man was well muscled from years of farm work, and Nu Alin enjoyed the feeling of strength in the body-strength and health that he knew would slowly ebb, the longer he retained control. In these first hours after taking a new body, he always felt so alive.
He adjusted the hood of his cloak, ensuring that his face stayed in shadow. As fresh as this body was, he could already feel the skin around the eyes cracking, revealing some of his true substance. It was always the first sign that he was not the pathetic human creature he appeared to be, which meant he had to take such precautions when he wished to move around undetected. But the benefit-the terror his eyes inspired when he revealed himself in a conflict-outweighed that minor inconvenience.
He made the body as comfortable as the hard wooden chair would allow and pretended to sip the wine as he scanned the room. Only nine other people were gathered in the common room-most citizens of the doomed town were too frightened to venture from their homes at night with his demons running wild through the lower part of the settlement. Their fear pleased him, as did the serious expressions on the faces of most of the people around him. The demons had people concerned, and as Nu Alin focused his own senses-which were much more sensitive than those of his host body-he could hear their frightened whispers and conspiratorial muttering. He and his demons had nothing to fear from these people.
Then his eyes came to rest on the farthest table from his seat, where a hulking dragonborn and a diminutive halfling sat behind a dozen mugs and glasses. They were
The dragonborn had pursued Nu Alin as he chased the Voidharrow and its thief from this town to the place where the trail of the Voidharrow had disappeared. He had traveled then with his wizard friend and the tiefling, who had proven a most disappointing host. After Nu Alin had taken the tiefling, the dragonborn and halfling both had been among those who confronted him in the depths of the Labyrinth, forcing him out of the tiefling’s body and bringing his search for the Voidharrow to a premature end.
Nu Alin believed he was above the petty and tumultuous emotions that seemed to drive his hosts, but he could appreciate what they called hatred or loathing when he considered the two adventurers across the common room. Without question, they were the greatest threat, in the room or anywhere else in the pathetic town, to his plans-and to Vestapalk’s plans. He set his glass down and focused all his attention on listening to them.
Their stories were full of improbable boasts and unlikely twists of fate, but Nu Alin recognized the danger represented by their laughter and the smiles that slowly spread out from their table through the other patrons. They represented hope for the people of Fallcrest-hope that could not be allowed to blossom into resistance.
Nu Alin was so focused on the pair of adventurers that he almost didn’t notice a new figure appear in the doorway and start toward their table. He glanced in the newcomer’s direction and recognized the tiefling woman he had taken-Tempest. He could still taste her delicious fear, her fury at his possession, and her determination to resist him.
“He’s here!” she suddenly cried.
The dragonborn and the halfling whirled to look at her, and the room fell silent.
“Who’s here, Tempest?” the dragonborn said.
“Nu Alin!” A note of hysteria tinged her voice. “I can feel him!”
The dragonborn and the halfling leaped to their feet, and it was their panic that gave Nu Alin the opportunity to escape. When the others in the room saw the two adventurers’ reaction, their faint hope dissipated, replaced at once by fear. The room erupted in a clamor of confusion. Others sprang out of their chairs and milled around the room or made their way out, and it was a simple matter for Nu Alin to weave his way through the chaos to make his escape.
As he slipped out through the door, he heard the dragonborn trying to calm Tempest, assuring her that she was suffering the effects of a nightmare. Further proof, if any was needed, of the boundless capacity these mortal creatures had for self-delusion. Some part of him, perhaps tied to the emotions of his host body, wanted to laugh.
“Damn it,” Tempest said, “why won’t you listen to me? Yes, I had a nightmare. I woke up. I came down here
